Our History

 We invite you to learn more about our history and story here. 

Our story began over 100 years ago. McPherson Funeral Services has been serving the Cranbrook, Kimberley, Columbia Valley, and surrounding areas since 1911. As far as our records show, the funeral home was originally located on Tenth Avenue, which was called “Norbury Street” at the time. The building was situated to the left of Cranbrook City Hall.

The original name of the funeral home was F.M. MacPherson & Sons Undertakers, owned by our founder, Frank Mitchell MacPherson. MacPherson ran the funeral home as well as Hanson’s Garage for many years. In 1928, he was elected as MLA for Cranbrook. Coincidentally, he later sold the funeral home to a man named Angus McPherson, who soon after renamed it McPherson Funeral Services. Angus ran the funeral home with staff such as Gordon Willis and many others over the years. Angus passed away in 1957, and Willis took over ownership, running the funeral home until his retirement from funeral service in 1970.

After Willis’s retirement Ross O. Dixon purchased and ran the funeral home, with staff members including managing director Dick Bothamley, Liz Bothamley, Bryan Watts, Chaz Price and Ed Sanderson. It was Dixon who, in 1971, opened a much larger facility located at 2200 2nd Street South in Cranbrook.


The new location, which opened in October of that year, included a 180-person chapel, separate visitation facilities, parking, and plenty of space for families to comfortably make final arrangements. This new facility was put to the ultimate test on February 11, 1978, when a Pacific Western Airlines airplane crashed at the Canadian Rockies International Airport. Tragically, 42 people lost their lives. The facility at 2200 2nd Street South became the central location for many autopsies and all embalming needs. Staff worked 24/7 for the first week or so after the accident. For victims who did not live locally, McPherson’s provided transportation to bring their loved ones home. Funeral services for those locally were carried out in the following weeks. Just before the PWA disaster, Dixon sold the funeral home in September of 1977 to John M. Chasca. Ross Dixon passed away in March 1978 and was survived by his wife and three children.

Throughout the early 1900s, McPherson’s also had locations in Kimberley, B.C. The first location was on Wallinger Avenue, down from the Credit Union, later moving to Deer Park Avenue, just down from the old Canadian Hotel. In 1993, a new location was built, consisting of a much larger facility that allowed for services and receptions to take place together. This facility, located at 1885 Warren Avenue in Kimberley, B.C., is where McPherson’s remains today. Two notable staff members during this time were Dick Burke and Bruno Fabro.


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John ran McPherson’s for the first few years with help from staff members such as Byron Reynolds, Sam McLeary, Herb Conroy, and Leon Clorec. In 1981, McPherson’s and the community welcomed a new managing director, Gordon C. Murphy. Gordon ran the funeral home for the next 25 years, making a lasting impact on the families of the community. In 1991, McPherson’s welcomed Brian Taylor, who worked alongside Gordon for many years. In 2001, McPherson’s Cranbrook location added building additions, including much-needed office space and a reception centre. This made the process of holding a service and reception together much more convenient. Later that year, John’s eldest son joined the team, followed by John’s daughter. After a very rewarding 40-year career in funeral service, Gordon retired as managing director. In 2013, John’s youngest son Dane joined the team and later became managing director in 2023. Today, the entire McPherson team continues to earn the trust of the families they serve, with the utmost care, compassion, and respect, always striving for exceptional service.

The last 2-3 decades have seen many changes in the funeral profession throughout North America. Large corporations, some from outside of Canada, have purchased many family-owned funeral homes and changed the way they operate. We are proud to be a family-owned and operated business.

McPherson’s will continue to embrace the wishes and needs of our families, finding new and more personal ways to honour their loved ones.

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